Warning: this article is all about the spoilers!

Netflix's hit show Stranger Things returned in October for its second season - and with an even larger budget and plenty of new faces, it proved that sequels can be a success.

Oozing with 1980s nostalgia and supernatural twists the first season of this Netflix original series proved to be an unexpected hit.

Not resting on their laurels, creators the Duffer brothers have brought us back in time again with a strong sequel, pitch perfect music cues, garish fashion and homages to the great eighties movies that we all remember.

No. of episodes

9

Release date

October 27,2017

Network

Netflix

Genre

Science fiction/Horror

Our Review

Picking up a year after they discovered Upside Down and the demogorgon was unleashed, Stranger Things 2 , turns everything up to eleven and shows off its bigger budget.

This time the hilarious but troubled teens of Hawkins, Indiana, try to get their lives back to normal and battle with arcade games rather than inter-dimensional monsters.

But sadly things don’t go the way as planned.

Cue a spooky blue hued world with just Will by himself as the sky turns red, a storm brewing.

Sheriff Hooper (David Harbour) promises "nothing is going to go back to the way it was, not really" and judging by our preview of the new series he's right.

We won’t ruin it too much for you but there are a few mild spoilers as we give you a rundown on what to expect.

The latest installment opens with Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) struggling to return to life in the real world where his peers view him as a freak, as he’s plagued by nightmares of the upside down.

(Image: Netflix/Youtube)

As you’d expect, Dr Owens (Paul Reiser), the new head of the Department for Energy, dismisses these visions as little more than PTSD after the trauma he suffered while held captive in another world.

Away from the supernatural visions, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) try to impress the new girl in the town, Max (Sadie Sink), a defiant, tough gamer as well as skateboarder who seems to just be there to fill the void left by Eleven’s absence.

Nevertheless, while mad Max’s presence is welcomed by some, it is rejected by others namely Mike (Finn Wolfhard) who still sits in his basement, waiting for a message from Eleven on his walkie-talkie.

(Image: Netflix)

Fans who have demanded justice for Barb, will be delighted to see Nancy (Natalie Dyer) and Steve (Joe Keery) finally show some remorse and guilt for their part in her disappearance.

And rather touchingly, we get to see Hopper adopt more of a father figure - but it won't be in the way you’d expect.

What really helps Stranger Things 2 to flourish in its second outing is the fact that we’ve already had a chance to get to know most of the main characters in the first season, so there’s no need for drawn out explanations or introductions.

Even more satisfying is that this season ties up some of the loose ends of the last and we can breathe easy knowing that at least some of our questions have been answered.

(Image: Netflix)

But the show still keeps that air of mystery.

If I was to have one complaint it would be that while there is a lot of enjoyment in the familiarity of the show, it still uses the same template as the first season and therefore doesn’t take the bold risks it once did.

With a season three and four already being discussed, I fear the format won’t last and will need a dramatic overhaul.

There’s also questions about the level of artistic talent both the Byers and Hopper as they create detailed sketches in a matter of seconds.

(Image: Netflix)

Overall, for a sequel fans won’t be disappointed with this season as it delivers everything we know and love about Stranger Things in spades.

But don't be fooled as while the new series builds on the successes of the first, it does little to break from the mould it has been set in.

Episode Guide

1. Madmax

2. Trick or Treat, Freak

3. The Pollywog

4. Will the Wise

5. Dig Dug

6. The Spy

7. The Lost Sister

8. The Mind Flayer

9. The Gate

Questions

Were Hopper and Dustin infected?

While most of the main characters ventured into the Upside Down, the writers placed an emphasis on Hopper and Dustin. Hopper became ill shortly after being trapped in the tunnels, while Dustin had some of the weird floating stuff sprayed in his face.

With large chunks of the season taking an influence from Aliens, it's hard not to think that the pair are infected. Plus, Season 3 can't be about poor Will again, he has been through enough already. Maybe by infecting new characters it'll give the show a different angle.

Season 2 release date

The show dropped on Netflix on October 27, 2017.

The new poster for Stranger Things 2

What was season one about?

(Image: Courtesy Netflix)

Season one began in November 1983 when Will Byers went missing. His friends are keen to find him, so when a girl called Eleven rocks up they use her special abilities to try and find their friend.

Will's brother Jonathan and Mike's sister Nancy get drawn into the hunt after Nancy's best mate Barb also goes missing.

Will's mum Joyce communicates with her son through the lights in her house, making her realise electricity is the key to talking to him. The town's sheriff Jim picks up the search to find him.

We soon realise there's another reality somehow linked to Hawkins, where there's a monster - and that's where Will is stuck.

We also learn Eleven was kidnapped at birth and used by the government as a spy.

Dr Brenner used Eleven and spends most of the first season trying to get her back after her escape.

We're left with Joyce and Jim entering the alternate reality to save Will, who returns. Nancy and Jonathan try and kill the monster, along with Steve, Nancy's boyfriend.

They don't succeed, however, as it reappears where Eleven is hiding. The season ended with Eleven's fate in the balance, Dr Brenner seemingly dead, and the Demogorgon's fate also unknown.

(Image: Netflix)

Season 2 cast

Millie Bobby Brown plays Eleven

Actor Millie Bobby Brown (Image: WireImage)

Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers

Winona Ryder returns in the second series of Stranger Things as Joyce (Image: Netflix)

Meet the new cast

The newcomers include Dacre Montgomery, an Australian actor who will appear in the new Power Rangers movie, and Sadie Sink from American Oyssey.

Montgomery plays the role of Billy, an older brother to Max, who will be played by Sadie Sink.

The 80s casting theme also continues as other latest additions include Sean Astin, Paul Reiser and Linnea Berthelsen. Both Astin and Reiser were part of hit movies during the decade including the Goonies and Aliens.

Will there be more seasons?

Eleven Stranger Things (Image: Copyright unknown)

Yes, the co-creators have said they're up for it but think it will end after four or five seasons.

Matt Duffer added: “I want it to have a really finite ending. I don’t want it to be one of those shows that runs out of gas and they lose it because they’re losing interest. You wanna end when you’re on top.”

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Netflix

Merchandise

Action figures

McFarlane Toys has released action figures from Stranger Things, including the Chief Jim Hopper and Eleven. They are packaged in the retro plastic with an older McFarlane Toy logo too. *Rushes to buy them*